EXHIBITION DESCRIPTION

City to Surf is an exhibition exploring two quintessential settings that have perennially captivated Australian street photographers: the sprawling metropolis and a favourite recreational locale for those looking to escape it, the beach. In Australian cities, the cost of living has never been higher and the sense of anxiety never more acutely felt; with alienation and consumerism reflected on every street corner. Whereas the beach is traditionally associated with the iconic Australian lifestyle. Populated by a diverse array of people from all backgrounds and different walks of life, aspiring to find a sense of belonging, relaxation and restoration by the water. The photographs aim to not only articulate the vast differences between the ‘City’ and the ‘Surf’ as backdrops against which the rituals of daily life are acted out, but also interrogate the connection between them as places imbued with the strangeness, wonder, and beauty of Antipodean life.